Tumble drier about to expolde...

[Hugo Nebula]

...Well, not quite. It's playing up. But before I go prodding around in something I know nothing about, does anyone have any possible pointers?

The machine is a Zanussi condenser, about six years old. A couple of nights ago, I put in a load to dry. I heard a different beeping sound; five beeps in succession. The washing was still damp and hot - it hadn't been through the cool down cycle.

I emptied the washing & turned it on again, and I heard a noise like a motor not turning. When I opened the drum I could smell a slight burning smell, similar to that of a stuck motor. Next thing I tried was turning the drum manually - it turned as normal. So I turned it on again and the drum, etc, turned OK. Phew, I thought. Maybe it had just caught on something and it's freed it. So I put the washing back in and tried again (keeping a careful ear out for any problems). This wash dried OK. I tried another wash, and the same thing happened again.

If I rotate the drum it works about half the time. The other half I get a burning smell. Any idea on the possible cause? A belt? A motor? Something else?

[The Natural Philosopher]

bruishes going/gone

[Davey]

Belt on the way out? What happens if you try it empty?

[NT]

sounds like a bad winding on the motor, typically a partial short. If the machine turns continusouly in one direction, such faults are easy to bodge-repair.

NT

[Graham.]

That's a poor wiki compared to some that get mentioned here. No detail. Dodgy advice about earth leaks and no mention about nuisance RCD trips which is how this manifests itself in many cases. I don't recognise their definition of a Variac, aren't they talking about laminated carbon brushes?

[Brian Gaff]

Well sounds like brushes to me, but it could also be wear in the motor. Brian

[Davey]

Your typo in the subject line sounds rather like a Professor 'expolding' about something. Just a thought.

[Hugo Nebula]

I've just tried it again. It seems to be OK on empty or with a small load. With a normal load it 'stalls' more often than not. It's started making a noise similar to rubber squeaking.

Looked at a video for changing a belt - that seems to involve dismantling the whole machine, which may be beyond me.

[Hugo Nebula]

Further investigation revealed that the flashing lights and bleeps were telling me 'error code 54'. Googling suggests that this could be "Voltage too low (control board fault or a power supply fault). Motor inoperative".

Is this correct? What's the likely cause? Is there an easy or cheap fix?

Ta,

[js.b1]

Hugo...

1 - ensure you have a working smoke alarm in the room with a dryer, they ha= ve multiple thermal cutouts but lint has a low ignition point.

2 - belts go over the drum on all except the costly miele, a sudden ba-ba-d= a in place of ba-ba-ba is a giveaway the belt is fraying.

3 - replacing motor is often not too bad, but the cost along with pulley te= nsioner can bump up the cost.

4 - replacing the rear sintered bearing can be quite involved (they can col= lapse, although not that common) and the shaft can be damaged.

Check YouTube for a video of your machine. Sometimes eSpares or similar have a video about belt replacement, it is muc= h easier with a video - a tedious job without.

Condensor are not cheap, unfortunately otherwise it might be easier to go b= uy new. Alternative is see what the manufacturer will charge for a flat fee= repair? They might be =A370 or =A390 which is better than =A3350 for a new= m/c. The warranty might be poor tho - 180 days in some cases.

[Hugo Nebula]

Update: I've taken the side & top off the machine and had a look around.

The belt looks in good condition; tight around the drum and no signs of splits. The error code seems to indicate a motor problem. When you start a programme & rotate the drum manually, it runs OK, and there's no noises from the motor. I presume there would be with worn bearings?

On the basis of ruling out the cheapest option first, I've ordered a replacement capacitor for the motor. Watch this space... (or get a life...)

[Hugo Nebula]

Touch wood, a replacement capacitor seems to have worked.